More Educational success stories: The "Ready to Impact" Program

The Ready to Impact program was implemented as a pilot, here in Wichita, at Southeast High School in November 2006. The project has since expanded to include Heights High and West High schools. It's purpose is to provide targeted services to students to help get them on track for graduation and post-secondary options. In 2008-2009, the program served students at Southeast, Heights, and West High schools and successfully graduated 86% of the Seniors involved, who would not have graduated without the assistance this program provided. In 2009-2010, of the 73 students served, 86.6% successfully graduated with West high graduating 12 out of 12 for a 100% success rate.

The program is led by Ms. Rhonda Hicks (pictured above); a truly dynamic and committed educator. USD259 has since entered into an contract with Ms. Hicks to expand her program to reach even more of the District's at-risk youth.

We would like to offer our sincere appreciation and our congratulations to Rhonda Hicks. Yours is an excellent program, and we thanks you for all that you do to improve the educational outcomes for children.

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Charges filed with the Justice Department concerning the treatment of inmates at ElDorado State Correctional Facility

The Kansas State NAACP has filed formal charges with the US Department of Justice concerning the treatment of inmates within the ElDorado Correctional facility. The charges are based on an incident that occurred in July where officers can be seen on camera using an inmates head to open a door, then dragging him to a blind-spot where a more severe altercation took place.

The case is now being reviewed in the Criminal and Special Litigation Sections both as an individual case and as a possible indicator of a more systemic problem. We will keep you all posted on the progress of the case here on the blog...

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What happens to a dream deferred?

47 years ago, the NAACP, the SNCC, the SCLC, CORE, the Urban League, and A Phillip Randolph came together and led the groundbreaking 1963 March on Washington. The organizers and host organizations each spoke eloquently to the needs and concerns of our community, but certainly the day belonged to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On that day he delivered his "I have a dream" speech" which is considered by many to be one of the greatest speeches ever recorded.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

For far too many, the entire speech, the march, and Dr. King's legacy as a whole, is simplified and reduced to that single line. It is a beautiful sentiment to be sure, but when taken as a summation of King's mission and message, the "Dream" itself is diminished. Dr. King said so much more... He spoke not only to his dreams and aspirations for the nation he wished his children to inherit, but he also spoke quite eloquently and often about the obstacles and conditions we would need to overcome to get there.

"...one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

Dr. King went on to speak until his death about the need to challenge racism, discrimination, militarism, religious bigotry, and poverty. In fact, on the night before his assassination, Dr. King spoke in Memphis, where he was organizing a campaign on behalf of sanitation workers. In that speech he said to the many Reverends in attendance:

"it's all right to talk about "long white robes over yonder," in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here. It's all right to talk about "streets flowing with milk and honey," but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can't eat three square meals a day. It's all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God's preachers must talk about the New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to do."

But what of us now?
On this day of celebration, many will lay claim to the mantle of Dr. King and the movement. Many will pronounce their intent to "restore" it or "reclaim" it or otherwise... But as we sing and celebrate, let us not forget that just last month, shortly after President Obama announced a $1.25 billion settlement for black farmers who were found to have faced overt discrimination by the USDA in the eighties and nineties, Congress refused to authorize the money. The Senate stripped the funding for the Pigford II settlement and several other programs from a bill that appropriated more funds for our war efforts.

Let us not forget that in Gainesville Florida, Muslim religious scriptures are being burned in the name of God. In Cobb County Georgia, Hartford Connecticut, Chicago Illinois, Morton Grove Illinois, and Mayfield Kentucky, permits to build Mosques are being denied or revoked. And in New York City, where even an Islamic community center is seemingly subject to a popular vote, on Tuesday of last week, a 43 year old cab driver from Bangladesh was asked if he was a Muslim. When he stated that he was, the passenger pulled out a knife and cut his throat.

Let us not forget that we are now in the 9th year of our longest war, with no end in sight, EVEN as our schools are laying off teachers, growing class sizes, and consolidating buildings due to the lack of funds.

Let us not forget that the victory in Brown vs the Board of Education which stated that separate was inherently unequal and had no place in public education, is routinely and ubiquitously undermined by those seeking to withdraw children into racially homogeneous enclaves, aided by State and District Courts...

Let us not forget that after the bailouts, and the loans, and the stimulus funds, OUR wealth has been redistributed to the rich, while THEIR pain and loss was redistributed to US.

Let us not forget that 5 years after Katrina, many from the lower 9th STILL are without their homes.

Let us not forget that a study released in March of this year showed that the average median wealth for a single Black Female was only $5.00

Let us not forget that according to a report recently released by the Schott foundation, the National graduation rate for Black males is only 47%, and in some States like New York, it is as low as 25%.

Let us not forget that within many of our inner cities, a culture of resignation and under achievement have taken root; animating our young men with a spirit of hopelessness and discontent which allows them to take and trade young lives with neither forethought or remorse.

Let us not forget that in cases like Ricci vs DeStepano, Gross vs FBL Financial Services, Iqbal vs Ashcroft, Phillips vs Ford Motor Company, and Citizens United vs the FCC, the courts have attacked and deliberately weakened existing Civil Rights law making it increasingly difficult to hold corporations and institutions accountable for violations against common citizens.

Let us not fail to notice that with each passing day our national dialogue becomes increasingly shrill and coarse, and as we retreat to our lesser and more tribal selves, we move further and further away from the 'Dream' we each seek to honor.

Honoring King requires more than our sharing his quotes, reciting his speeches, retracing his steps or displaying his likeness... We honor the messenger by carrying the message, and right now, as badly as ever, our society needs to hear it...

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Allegations of Racial Profiling surface in Junction City Kansas

Yesterday, we received a racial profiling complaint from a woman named Andrea Hall. Mrs. Hall is the wife of a deployed soldier who was driving her car in the Junction City area when she was pulled over by an Officer for speeding. Mrs. Jones has provided the details of the incident in writing and has requested that we make it public.

While sitting at the traffic light of the Grant Avenue and Washington Road intersection, I, Andrea S. Hall, heard a loud thumping on my trunk. Looking out of the rear-view mirror, I noticed a police officer proceeding towards my driver-side door. Disturbed and perplexed by this, I lowered my window, as the officer furiously yelled, “When we get through this traffic light, I want you to PULL OVER into that parking lot (pointing at the parking lot of a liquor store adjacent to the traffic light)!!!” Despite my apprehensiveness of his demeanor and tone, I managed to say, “Ok.”

After arriving and parking in the aforementioned parking lot, the officer came back to my driver’s side window, just as irate as before, yelling, “Is there any reason why you’re speeding?!!”. I replied, “Well, I was sitting at the traffic light so…” Interrupting, the officer said, “Just give me your license and registration.” I nervously fumbled for the requested items, wondering why this officer was so upset. Once I handed him the items, he returned to the patrol truck and he and another officer (who was also in the same patrol truck) interacted for about 6 to 7 minutes. At this point, the other officer came to my car to serve me the traffic citation, asking me to sign it. Noticing that they had written a heavy “N” on the citation, in order to indicate my ethnicity, I said, “What’s this?” Completely disregarding my question, the officer said, “Just sign it. It doesn’t mean that you did it or not.” I scribbled over the entire signature area, now upset and offended by their conduct, but not wanting to get into a debate with the officer. I waited for him to tear the ticket, and then I pulled off.

I called the Junction City Municipal Court and when the clerk answered the phone, I said, “What is the protocol for indicating race and ethnicity, here, in Junction City because when I was stopped by a couple of your officers they’ve written a heavy “N” on the citation for my ethnicity.” Ironically, this clerk also seemed irritated, as she rudely responded, “M’am, we use “N” for Non-Hispanic and “H” for Hispanic. Are you Hispanic?” I said, “Well, no, but if that is all Junction City can see, Hispanic and Non-Hispanic, that’s racial profiling in itself. How would he have really known that anyway? That makes no sense, and I don’t believe that you guys only have two abbreviations to use for race.” She said, “Well, it is M’am, have a nice day.” She then hung up the phone.

At that time, I resolved that I would simply go to court and speak with the judge about the matter. So, on Tuesday, August 10, 2010, I went to the Junction City Municipal Courthouse. I called attorney Steve Rosel (who since then, has committed to supporting me with this case), along the way, discerning that I would need some legal advice and support. Once I arrived to the clerk’s desk, she asked me if I just wanted to pay the ticket. I told her that I was actually there to speak with the judge about the citation, due to the officer’s misconduct. I then showed her the ticket through the glass window, asking her to look closely at what the officer had written for my ethnicity. The clerk said, “What’s the problem?” I then explained to her that I did not believe that Junction City would find it acceptable to use the letter “N” for an African-American’s race. I then said as a matter of fact, I want to hear what the judge has to say, because I was repulsed and very offended. She said, “Well, I don’t know what he’s going to say, but you can talk with him.” I said, “Well, M’am, when I called and spoke to your office, one of you guys told me you ‘only use ‘N’ for Non-Hispanic and ‘H’ for Hispanic. I beg to differ, and I will tell him that. In fact…” (Pausing to ask a Caucasian male (service member) for his traffic citation, who had just entered the lobby, I looked at his citation and showed the clerk (again through the glass window) that his traffic citation had the letter “W” annotated for his ethnicity, which is obviously because he is white. Wanting to make sure that she and I both understood that the previous explanation for the “N” on my ticket was preposterous, I then asked an African-American male for his traffic citation, and after looking at it, I showed her that even he had the letter “B” for Black. Speechless, the clerk said, “M’am, just have a seat and I’ll get you on back.”

Joining the other citizens waiting to appear before the judge, I waited patiently for my time to explain this to the judge. When it was finally my turn, the judge stated that I was cited for speeding, and asked me what was my intentions for coming to court that day. I began to explain to him all of the aforementioned information, but was interrupted by the courtroom attorney, who said that was not the time to explain the situation because it was not a trial. I said, “Well, I just want to know how the judge feels about his officers writing the letter “N” for an African-American’s ethnicity.” The judge (and the other court officials) chuckled and said, “M’am, what do you want to do? Do you want to pay the ticket or contest it? I’ll hear what you have to say in a continuance, but the attorney’s right, we can’t go into discussion about this right now. I will not proceed to try to explain what the city has done, without the officer being here. So, do you want a continuance?” I said, “Yes.” After explaining a few other legalities to me, he then set my court date for September 29, 2010, at 6:00 p.m. I thanked them and exited the courtroom.

Mrs. Jones' case is now being filed with the Kansas Human Rights Commission (the agency with the statutory authority to investigate profiling cases and request relief). We will be attending the hearing with Mrs. Jones and I will keep you all posted here on the blog...

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Judge rules that Troy Davis failed to prove his innocence in his evidentiary hearing

Today, a ruling was delivered in Troy Davis's evidentiary hearing. Judge William T. Moore, Jr., ruled that Troy Davis did not “clearly establish” his innocence. Because of the ruling, the State of Georgia will make plans to carry out the death sentence and set a new execution date.

The June evidentiary hearing was not a new trial, Troy Davis had no presumption of innocence and was limited in what able to be presented. And while he was still able to produce four witnesses who testified under oath that they lied at Troy’s trial and yet others implicated the alternative suspect, he was unable to meet the very high standard set to prove his innocence.

Troy Davis's legal team has stated that they plan to appeal the ruling...

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Educational Excellence: Two local schools that are getting it right...

Just last week, the Schott Foundation released a 50 State report on Public Education and Black males. According to the report, the National Graduation rate for Black males averages out to a dismal 47%. And while my home State of Kansas faired a bit better, there is clearly a considerable amount of work to be done.

But even as we acknowledge that, we mustn't lose sight of the fact that scattered throughout our respective cities, there are still teachers, administrators, and schools that are doing amazing things.

Earlier this evening, I attended the school board meeting for USD259 here in Wichita. While there I heard a presentation on two local elementary schools, each that had been placed "on improvement" in NCLB parlance for failing to meet AYP for two consecutive years. The Principals from these schools, Pam Stead (from Enterprise Elementary) and Judy Wright (from Clark Elementary), were then recognized for their successful efforts to improve their student outcomes and for each leading their schools OFF of "improvement".

At Enterprise, a school with a significant Latino and ELL enrollment, they were able to achieve a 17.2% increase in reading scores on State Assessments over 2 years, while narrowing the achievement gap by 21.4 points, and still showing improvement for all groups. They had similar success in Math where their Assessment scores increased by 6.8%, and their achievement gap was narrowed by 17.5%.

At Clark Elementary, a school with a significant African American enrollment, they were able to improve their State Reading assessment scores over the same 2 year period by 31.8% while also improving their State Math Assessment scores by 35%.

Both schools have now met AYP for two consecutive years, and now neither school remains 'on improvement'.

As an NAACP unit, but more specifically as people who advocate for educational equity, innovation, and reform, we would just like to tip our hats and recognize these two outstanding Principals for a job well done...

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The Civil Rights Commission, the New Black Panther Party, and the dogged pursuit of Selective Justice

Long time readers of the blog will note that I am no fan of the US Commission on Civil Rights. I have been very critical of the Commission and have been writing about its dysfunction since 2007 (See HERE, and HERE, and HERE, and HERE).

But the recent Black Panther Party investigation is perhaps instructive, because when viewed in context, it says far more about the commission itself than its commitment to justice. Consider the following recent cases:

Albuquerque New Mexico - 2008: State Representative Justine Fox-Young held a press conference in which she claimed to have proof that a number of citizens had voted illegally in the primary elections. She then proceeded to release the names of those people (all minorities) to the press. After the citizens (who had been registered to vote by ACORN) were later found to be legal voters, some of them were then visited in their homes by private investigators who interrogated them.
The Civil Rights Commission took NO action, filed no charges, and did not call for an investigation.

Craven County, North Carolina - 2008: A man by the name of William Harper placed a real casket by an active polling station in Craven County, NC. The casket featured two photos of then candidate Barack Obama. The pictures also had what some described as a red noose-like shape around the Senator's head and the pictures were titled "O' No!"
The Civil Rights Commission took NO action, filed no charges, and did not call for an investigation.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 2008: A flier was distributed in some largely African American Philadelphia neighborhoods. It stated that people with legal troubles or unpaid traffic violations would be arrested by undercover cops when they showed up to vote. It also said that cars with unpaid tickets would be towed.
The Civil Rights Commission took NO action, filed no charges, and did not call for an investigation.

Fayetteville, North Carolina - 2008: After a rally, supporters of the Candidate Barack Obama went to an early polling center where they were literally harassed and heckled by a group of protesters as they went in to vote.
The Civil Rights Commission took NO action, filed no charges, and did not call for an investigation.

Virginia Tech University - 2008: Students were told that if the registered to vote in Virginia that they could lose their scholarship or tax dependency status, and that they would have to re-register their cars and obtain new drivers licenses.
The Civil Rights Commission took NO action, filed no charges, and did not investigate.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - 2008: Voters reported receiving robocalls telling them that Election Day was November 5th.
The Civil Rights Commission took NO action, filed no charges, and did not call for an investigation.

Cleveland, Ohio - 2008: Voters were falsely told that they could send in absentee ballots as late as November 14th.
The Civil Rights Commission took NO action, filed no charges, and did not call for an investigation.

North Carolina - 2008: Fliers were left on cars at a shopping mall instructing Republicans to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 4th (actual Election Day) and Democrats to vote on Wednesday Nov. 5th.
The Civil Rights Commission took NO action, filed no charges, and did not call for an investigation.

Kansas City, Missouri - 2008: Reports from voters at a largely African American polling location, indicated they were being warned of a 6-8 hour wait to vote (despite the line being short) and being forced to put their names on a list while in line to vote.
The Civil Rights Commission took NO action, filed no charges, and did not call for an investigation.

Dearborn, Michigan - 2008: Voters reported seeing uniformed police officers scanning the lines to look for voters with outstanding warrants.
The Civil Rights Commission took NO action, filed no charges, and did not call for an investigation.


Colorado - 2010: In US District Court, a coalition of voting rights groups came together and sued Colorado's Secretary of State Mike Coffman for illegally removing over 27,000 mostly minority voters from the rolls. They filed a temporary restraining order to get those names reinstated and to ensure additional names cannot be removed before Election Day.
The Civil Rights Commission took NO action, filed no charges, and did not call for an investigation.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 2008: A reporter videotaped two young African American men wearing black military type outfits pacing in front of a polling place with one of the young men carrying a nightstick. The young men were both members of a group calling itself the New Black Panther Party and the reporter alleged that the pair was intimidating White voters.
The Civil Rights Commission called for a full investigation and prosecution of the two young men and the entire New Black Panther Party organization. 

The Justice Department investigated the case, filed voter intimidation charges and won an injunction against King Samir Shabazz, who was the young man brandishing the nightstick.

To sustain a Civil Rights charge against the organization as a whole, you would have to be able to prove that the organization was actively engaged in a "campaign of intimidation". In this case, the Philadelphia polling place where King Samir Shabazz was pacing was the only one where an incident occurred, and the incident was publicly disavowed on the New Black panther Party's website prior to any civil action being initiated. Their site read: "Specifically, in the case of Philadelphia, the New Black Panther Party wishes to express that the actions of people purported to be members do not represent the official views of the New Black Panther Party and are not connected nor in keeping with our official position as a party." For that reason, and that there were no actual calls or complaints filed by any voters at the precinct, and no witnesses who could provide any insight or evidence of any broader conspiracy, the charges against the organization were dropped due to insufficient evidence.

The Civil Rights Commission has now requested the authority from Congress to file a lawsuit against the Department of Justice. On the Civil Rights Commissions website, the only hearings they've held since December of 2009 (save one briefing on age discrimination) all pertain to this case.

Two dissenting members of the Commission spoke about the continuing investigation during a hearing in May:

Abigail Thernstrom, a long-time Republican member of the commission, said she was not happy that the investigation has taken up so much of their time. She called the New Black Panther Party "nothing in my view but a lunatic fringe view." She added that in her view, the November 2008 incident was an isolated event with no analogy to the history of voter intimidation in the South.

"Far too much of our time has been consumed on this seemingly unnecessary investigation," said Commissioner Arlan Menendez, who was appointed by Democrats. "No citizen has even alleged that he or she was intimidated. This absence of voter intimidation was clear to the Justice Department last spring," and should be clear to the members of this commission as well, he said.

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Save the Date: NAACP Chair Roslyn Brock to address the Wichita NAACP Legacy Awards Banquet 10-30-10

On October 30th, NAACP National Chairman Roslyn McCallister Brock will address the Wichita Branch NAACP's 90th Anniversary Legacy Awards Banquet. This is the first time a sitting NAACP Chairman has visited our city in the 90 year history of the Branch.

Roslyn M. Brock made history in February 2010 when she became the youngest ever and fourth woman to serve as Chairman of the National Board of Directors.

Over the past twenty five years, Brock has served the NAACP in several leadership roles. She is a Diamond Life Member of NAACP and joined the Association as a freshman at Virginia Union University where she was elected President of the Youth and College Division from the Commonwealth of Virginia. One year later, she was elected as a Youth Board Member from Region 7 - representing the District of Columbia, Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia. During her tenure as a Youth Board Member and Vice Chairman of the NAACP Board Health Committee, Brock led the policy debate to recognize access to quality health care as a civil rights issue that resulted in the National Board's ratification and inclusion of a Health Committee as a Standing Committee in its Constitution.

In 1989, under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Benjamin Lawson Hooks, Brock wrote her Master's Thesis on "Developing a NAACP Health Outreach Program for Minorities." Brock is a skilled grant writer and has secured more than $2.7 million dollars in grants since 1991 for NAACP programs that initiated the Health Symposiums held annually at NAACP National Conventions; publication of more than 200,000 copies of "HIV/AIDS and You" educational materials distributed to NAACP Units; research and media work associated with documenting the history of the NAACP; support for ACT-SO and the NAACP Law Fellows programs; and commissioned the 2007 NAACP Perceptions Survey just to name a few.

In 1999, Brock was appointed Chair of the Board Convention Planning Committee. In this role, she led the Committee to institute fiscal policies that resulted in the Convention becoming a profit center for the Association with average net revenues of $1 million dollars a year.

In 2005, Brock created the Leadership 500 Summit with several other young adult members of the NAACP. The Summit's goal is to recruit, train and retain a new generation of civil rights leaders aged 30 - 50 to the NAACP. Since its inception, Leadership 500 has contributed more than $650,000 to the NAACP National Treasury to support 2009 Centennial activities.

As Chairman of the Board Centennial Committee, Brock provides oversight for publication of Centennial calendars and paraphernalia; commission of Centennial artwork; and creation of the Centennial logo and theme for marketing and public relations.

Brock is member of the Board of Trustees for the Catholic Health Association of the United States of America and the NAACP Special Contributions Fund Board of Trustees. She's served on the boards of community mental health; family and children's services; senior services and faith based community ministries. She's also a member of several professional and civic organizations including the American Public Health Association; American College of Health Services Executives; American Hospital Association's Disparities in Healthcare Task group; Association of Healthcare Philanthropy; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and The LINKS, Inc.

A recipient of numerous healthcare, community service and leadership awards, Brock's leadership skills have been recognized by several national publications and organizations. In April 2008, Brock participated in the United States Department of Defense's 75th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC) reserved for American leaders interested in expanding their knowledge of the military and national defense. She toured U.S. Southern Command, responsible for providing contingency planning, operations and security cooperation for Central and South America, the Caribbean, Cuba and the Bahamas, and their territorial waters.

She was a guest lecturer on "Alleviating Global Poverty" in Rome, Italy at the 2007 Martin Luther King, Jr. Conflict Resolution Conference co-sponsored by the Lott Carey Foreign Missions and the Baptist Union of Italy.

From 2003-2005, Brock served as a Young Leaders Fellow for the National Committee on U.S. - China Relations to build cross-cultural understanding and professional networks with young Chinese leaders while exploring substantive issues and developing enduring friendships.

Other highlights include: Wrote the Foreword for the 2008 Edition of Who's Who Among African-Americans Directory; Featured in December 2007 Forbes Magazine article on Diversity and Economic Parity for African Americans; Recipient of the Network Journal's "40 Under Forty Achievement Award"; Martin Luther King, Jr. Medal for Human Rights, the George Washington University; Outstanding Alumna, Virginia Union University; Honorary Chairperson, National Black Family Summit; Ebony magazine's "Future Leader Award"; and Good Housekeeping's "100 Young Women of Promise."

Brock is employed as Vice President, Advocacy and Government Relations for Bon Secours Health System, Inc., in Marriottsville, Maryland. Prior to working at Bon Secours, Brock worked 10 years in Health Programs at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan.

She graduated magna cum laude from Virginia Union University; earned a master's degree in health services administration from George Washington University, an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Master of Divinity degree from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Theology at Virginia Union University.

Brock's goal in life is embodied in an African proverb "Care more than others think is wise, Risk more than others think is safe, Dream more than others think is practical and Expect more than others think is possible."

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Shirley Sherrod's letter to the NAACP 08-17-10

Back in March, I delivered a speech to an NAACP Freedom Fund banquet in my home state of Georgia. I drew on my personal life story to urge poor people, white and black, to pull together and overcome racial divisions. We have to understand that our struggle is against poverty and against those who are blocking our path out of poverty.

Unless we figure this out, I warned, our communities won't thrive and our children won't prosper.

As you know, a Tea Party blogger named Andrew Breitbart released an intentionally deceptive, heavily edited clip from that speech to make it look as if I was delivering exactly the opposite message. Then Fox News blasted that false message across America's airwaves, creating a firestorm that led to my ouster as the USDA State Director here in Georgia.

Not long ago, I sat here in my living room in Albany, Georgia for an afternoon of deep conversation with NAACP President Benjamin Jealous. As he has done in public, Ben movingly apologized for the fact that the NAACP was initially hoodwinked by Breitbart and Fox into supporting my removal. I told him what I want to tell you.

That's behind us, and the last thing I want to see happen is for my situation to weaken support for the NAACP. Too many people confronted by racism and poverty count on the NAACP to be there for them, especially those in rural areas who often have nowhere else to turn.

People ask me, "Shirley, how are you getting through all of this?" I tell them that, if they knew what I have lived through, they'd understand that these current challenges aren't about to throw me off course.

When I was 17 years old, my father was murdered by a white man in Baker County, Georgia. There were three witnesses, but the grand jury refused to indict the person responsible. I knew I had to do something in answer to my father's death.

That very night, I made a commitment that I would stay in the South and fight for change.

I have lived true to that commitment for 45 years. I didn't yield when, just months after my father was killed, they came in the middle of the night to burn a cross in front of our house with my mother, four sisters, and the baby brother my father never got to see still inside.

And I'm surely not going to yield because some Tea Party agitator sat at his computer and turned everything I said upside down and inside out.

I learned a lot of lessons from my parents growing up, but one of the most important ones is what my mother taught her children after our father was killed. She told us we mustn't try to live with hate in our hearts.

My mother led by example. Just 11 years after that cross-burning incident, she became the first black elected official in Baker County, and she's still serving, still working to bring people together.

You and I have to keep working as well. Change has to start with us. I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support I have received over these last few weeks. It means so much to me and my family.

But you and I have to make sure that people all across the country who wage a daily struggle against poverty and racism have support networks as well. And that's why your personal involvement in sustaining the NAACP is so critical.

The NAACP confronts the virulent racism that my family and so many other families have had to endure. But it is also leading the way in breaking down the structural barriers that block so many people's paths out of poverty.

In our struggle between the "haves" and the "have-nots," they want to keep the poor divided - and we have to insist, by our words and our actions, that there is no difference between us.

As we move forward together, I urge you to remember this: Life is a grindstone. But whether it grinds us down or polishes us up depends on us.

Thank you for all you are doing to challenge poverty and racism. I look forward to working and struggling right by your side.

Sincerely,

Shirley Sherrod

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National Graduation Rate for Black Males 47% according to new Schott Foundation Report

A new report released from the Schott Foundation details graduation rates for Black males on State and District levels throughout the Country. It reveals that in the 2007/2008 school year the National Graduation rate for Black Males was only 47%. It also describes the achievement gaps between Black males and their counterparts, the conditions which lead to success or failure, school discipline rates, and the economic consequences...

Click HERE to download the full report

Here's video of NAACP President Ben Jealous speaking on MSNBC about the report...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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NAACP Legal Defense Fund Wins Relief for Victims of Post- Katrina/Rita Housing Discrimination

Today a federal court in Washington, DC, prevented Louisiana from continuing to utilize a discriminatory formula as part of the federally-funded “Road Home” Program, which was designed by the Louisiana Recovery Authority and approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) to aid homeowners in their efforts to rebuild in the wake of devastating damage resulting from Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.

With $11 billion in federal funds, the Road Home Program awards grants to Louisiana homeowners whose homes were damaged by the storms in 2005 using one of two formulas: either the pre-storm value of the home in question, or the cost of repairs, whichever is lower. In today’s ruling, the Court determined that using the pre-storm value of the home to calculate grant awards likely creates a discriminatory impact on African-American homeowners, as black homeowners’ grants are far more likely to be based on the lower, pre-storm value of their homes rather than the cost of repairing the damage to their homes – even when the damage sustained and the cost of repair is the same. This disparity means that African-American homeowners are likely to have bigger gaps in the resources necessary to rebuild their homes. In its order, the Court granted the plaintiffs’ request to prevent Louisiana officials from using pre-storm value to calculate any future Road Home grant awards.

“It is our hope that this is the first step in truly getting folks on the road home. Today’s ruling is a rebuke of HUD and Louisiana. The flawed Road Home Program is part of the reason why the pace of recovery has been so slow five years after the storms ravaged the Gulf Coast,” said John Payton, NAACP LDF President and Director-Counsel.

Last month the plaintiffs filed a separate motion for preliminary injunction asking for a freeze in spending surplus Road Home funds until the conclusion of the pending lawsuit, so that the surplus funds could be used to make up the difference to those families who suffered discrimination. The Court denied that motion but found a “strong inference” of discrimination. Today’s decision does not address those who already received funding under the program, but prevents the discriminatory formula from being applied to future grants.

The plaintiffs in the case are the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, the National Fair Housing Alliance, and individual homeowners representing others who suffered discrimination. Lawyers from the law firms of Cohen, Milstein Sellers & Toll and WilmerHale served as co-counsel.

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Ok, so we've marched... Now what?

On April 14th, our community was hit by a senseless act of violence. A drive-by shooting occurred near 18th and Volutsia, in the middle of the day, taking the life of yet another one of our young people. The crime was especially tragic because there were a number of small children who were outside playing at the time, who not only witnessed the crime, but were also potential victims. This wasn't the first such crime of the year, and certainly wouldn't be the last. And all indications were, that as a city, we were in for a long hot summer...

The Restoring our Community March was held on June 26th through the heart of the Wichita African American Community. The march united 34 Civic and Social organizations to focus increased attention and effort on addressing at-risk youth within our community. Fraternities, Sororities, Churches, Politicians, City Leaders, Social Groups, Community Activists, families of homicide victims, and concerned citizens all came together and marched, 4 miles, at 12 noon, in 98 degree weather, to call for an end top the violence. We marched right through our own community. And as we marched, we passed the bullhorn from Pastor to Pastor and we prayed, loudly and collectively for peace in our neighborhoods. We talked to the people we encountered along the route. We called out to the people still in their homes. And we challenged everyone, ourselves included, to do more...

Each of the organizations who participated in the march were asked to contribute a new initiative specifically designed to address the needs and issues surrounding our at-risk youth. We asked each organization to find new ways to reach out to youth beyond the pool of the best and brightest who many of our efforts often serve.

Yesterday, the front page of the Wichita Eagle featured a story on the drop in crime our city has recently experienced. And while the city-wide drop has been only 1.5%, the story says that the drop has been spurred by a more precipitous drop in the 'core of the city'. And while there are certainly any number of inter-related factors that contributed to this drop in crime and violence, I think it worthy of note that when we as a community come together we absolutely CAN make a difference!

Next Steps:
After the march, we also asked each of the organizations to commit to coming together again to talk about some specific ways that we can increase and strengthen our collaborative efforts. That meeting will take place on Saturday, September 4th, at 2:00pm in the McAdams Center (in McAdams Park). Immediately following the Black Arts Festival Parade, we  would like to have representatives from each of the participating organizations gather in the McAdams Rec Center for a brief meeting during which we will discuss each of the Organizations efforts to reach at-risk youth, and discuss some specific long-term projects that we could collaborate on that would really increase our collective efficacy.

So please, join us as we move into phase II of the 'Restoring our Community' Movement

The Restoring our Community Movement
Phase II: "Bridging the Gaps through strategic collaborations"

Saturday September 4th @ 2:00pm
(following the Black Arts Festival Parade)
McAdams Recreation Center

Participating Organizations
The Wichita Ministerial League, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the Urban League of Kansas, the Peace and Social Justice Center, Sunflower Community Action, the African American Coalition, Real Men Inc, the Council of Elders, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Zeta Phi Beta Sororities, Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Iota Phi Theta, Phi Beta Sigma, and Omega Psi Phi Fraternities, The Wichita Chapter of the National Organization for Women, the Wichita Black Nurses Association, the Center for Heath and Wellness, the Universalist Unitarian Church, the Kansas African American Museum, 316 the Rescue Zone, "Do you want to Live or Die" , Woman to Woman, the Justice Keepers, the Advocacy Coalition of Kansas, Bigelow Bethea, Rice Services, the Boys and Girls Club, Real Men Real Heroes, the Kappa Leadership League, the Optimist Club, and the City of Wichita.  - AND YOU!!


If you would like to be a part of this effort, just plan to be in attendance on September 4th!!!

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"...if you can not afford an attorney, one will be provided for you"

The right to remain silent and the right to an attorney are guaranteed to all citizens in the 5th and 6th amendments of the constitution. In 1963, Ernesto Miranda was arrested and interrogated, and during that interrogation he confessed to the commission of a crime. Upon review, the Supreme Court ruled that in order for his statements to be admissible, he had to be aware of his rights under the 5th and 6th amendments, and he had to make a knowing, intelligent, and voluntary waiver of those rights. His first conviction was thrown out, and since then the "Miranda Warning" has an integral part of our system of our criminal justice system.

But despite its ubiquity, buried within the Miranda warning is a concept that we mistakenly take for granted: That we are all guaranteed a right to counsel. That guarantee is rooted in our Adversarial system of jurisprudence which presupposes that in any criminal proceeding, both the plaintiff and the defendant should be afforded equal access to the courts and each allowed to present their most vigorous and spirited argument. It is through this process of reasoned argument between two equal platforms that we aspire to arrive at the truth.

That is the noble system we've drafted, but is that the system we have?

The reality is that in counties all across the nation, Public Defenders offices find themselves dramatically under-staffed and under-funded compared to their colleagues in local District Attorney's offices and private firms. This is not a bureaucratic or budgetary problem. These disparities challenge the integrity of our criminal justice system. Chronic under-funding contributes to high turnover rates, which result in Public Defenders offices disproportionately relying upon recent college graduates who lack real world trial experience. Chronic under-staffing results in Public Defenders being forced to manage impossible caseloads, significantly limiting the amount of time attorneys can spend reviewing any given case or preparing effective defenses. The cumulative outcome of these structural inequities is that poor and largely minority defendants, who are constitutionally guaranteed a right of equal participation and access to our adversarial system, too often enter courtrooms with inadequate, inexperienced, and or under-prepared counsel.

Right here, in the fair city of Wichita, attorneys in our Public Defenders office are each managing an average of almost 250 cases per year. And with nearly 4,800 annual cases, they are staffed with only ONE investigator! That is more than a travesty, that is a rolling civil rights violation designed into the very structure of the system; a system in drastic need of reform. The Kansas State Conference of the NAACP will be lobbying for changes to the system in the upcoming legislative session. We'll post details on this initiative here on the blog.

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Statement from NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous on the Shirley Sherrod incident

The events of the past month have offered signs of great hope for our beloved Association to reinvigorate the national movement for civil rights and social justice as we move towards the fall elections.

They also provided me with a hard-earned reminder of how we must proceed together if we are going to maximize our chances for success.

Three weeks ago, I dedicated my address at our national convention to making the case for One Nation - a massive march on Washington for jobs, justice, and education on 10-2-10 - exactly one month before the national elections. This march will reunite the forces of progress (civil rights, human rights, labor, small business, faith-based, and student organizations), reinvigorate our troops at a critical moment in history, and add volume to our collective demand for massive job creation, good schools and just treatment for all.

In that address, I chose to challenge the national Tea Party leaders to stop explicitly racist extremists from gaining increased influence over our nation's political discourse through involvement in their rapidly growing movement. The comments were inspired by a resolution presented by members of our Missouri State Conference. They are, as I am, concerned that silence in the face of such extremism only allows the possibilities for hate and the violence it produces to grow. The resolution was passed unanimously by more than 2000 delegates.

Our challenge to Tea Party leaders provoked a series of public responses that were covered widely by the media. First, Tea Party leaders denied our claims were valid. Then they pushed out a false spin that we were calling the Tea Party itself racist. Then, because we were steadfast in the face of their resistance, Tea Party leaders launched an intensive internal conversation about racist elements in their ranks. Thanks to your overwhelming support for the call for civility and responsible stewardship of their movement, they expelled Mark Williams - a Tea Party leader who had a history of making racist remarks - and the faction he had helped lead (which is a good start).

Our call also provoked a wave of threats against volunteer NAACP leaders and staff members across the country. We counted more than 100 in total. In the midst of this wave, a young man was arrested in Florida for making terrorist threats against an NAACP unit, and another man was arrested after a shootout in California. He was dressed in body armor and reportedly on his way to shoot up our allies at the ACLU and the Tides Foundation.

Finally, it provoked a barrage of viral video attacks on the NAACP. Most of them failed to get any traction. One now-notorious video promoted by Andrew Breitbart and Fox News gained widespread media attention on several networks.

I made a critical mistake in assessing the content of that video excerpt, and issued a statement supporting USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack's decision to "accept the resignation of Mrs. Shirley Sherrod" for statements allegedly made at a local NAACP event and condemning the statements as portrayed.

As President Obama has said, Mrs. Sherrod did not deserve the rush to condemnation.

The mistake is one I deeply regret at a magnitude unparalleled in the 19 years since I took my first job working in the civil and human rights movement. I hurt Mrs. Sherrod and hurt her deeply, and I am very sorry.

I am also thankful that she has graciously accepted my apology, and that she has stated publicly that she continues to believe in the NAACP and the urgent need for our work.

We issued the original statement in the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday, July 20, attempting to head off a brewing media firestorm before the morning news shows.

Within hours of issuing that statement, we knew something was wrong.

By 9:00 a.m., that same day, we had removed the statement from our website and announced publicly that we were withdrawing it. We had also assembled a multi-departmental team to investigate the facts surrounding the incident.

By 11:00 a.m., we had contacted Mrs. Sherrod to inform her we were actively reassessing our statement.

By 4:00 p.m., we had tracked down the full video, and assembled staff and a national commentator on CNN to listen to the entire speech.

By 5:00 p.m., I was on the phone apologizing to Mrs. Sherrod and reviewing with her the statement we would issue moments later stating our error and urging the Administration to reinstate her.

By 7:00 p.m., that evening, we succeeded in uploading the full video of her remarks on our website for the world to see and to unequivocally set the record straight.

That evening I went on CNN and MSNBC to amplify our new statement.

I am grateful for how our national staff came together to address the error.

The beautiful and inspiring speech Mrs. Sherrod gave to our Coffee County, Georgia, Branch has now been viewed more than 500,000 times since being posted at NAACP.org. Most notably, it was viewed by senior officials at the USDA and the White House as they deliberated and decided to make their apologies to Mrs. Sherrod and invite her to rejoin the senior ranks of the USDA.

As she graciously accepted my apology, Mrs. Sherrod asked that the NAACP redouble our efforts on Capitol Hill to ensure Black farmers receive the settlement they won after filing a lawsuit documenting the USDA's entrenched patterns of racial discrimination. I agreed readily. It is an issue in which our Washington Bureau Director Hilary Shelton and I have both been personally engaged.

A mistake of this sort will not happen again. In the future, no matter what the context, before making such a decision, there will be much more intensive investments in research and consultation on the front end.

The staff is currently in the process of debriefing and reviewing protocols to institutionalize this commitment. America counts on the NAACP to get it right the first time, and you should be able to count on your national office to be the standard bearer for our great Association.

In the meantime, what will not change is our commitment to confronting racism wherever it flourishes, and building powerful alliances to combat its most urgent structural manifestations.

We applaud Mrs. Sherrod's decision to sue Mr. Breitbart and will back her up on that suit. We will complement that effort and build upon the work we began with our nationwide protests against Fox News' parent company, NewsCorp, by advocating even more aggressively for them to reverse their pattern of exploiting and inflaming national racial and social tensions. (It should come as no surprise that the aforementioned gunman claims to be a loyal listener to Glenn Beck, or that the ACLU and the Tides Foundation are frequent targets of his on-air animus.)

Breitbart's attack on Mrs. Sherrod, on us and on the movement was just malicious. He said he attacked Mrs. Sherrod to destroy the NAACP. Let me say again that I made a grave mistake. What Breitbart did was calculated and deliberate, designed to divide and destroy.

But if those who seek to divide us think what was done in trying to damage a mighty and heroic black woman, damage the NAACP, and damage the movement will succeed, then they do not know that we live by a higher order.

What was meant for evil, God will turn to good. We will be made stronger, not weaker.

That's why we will stand with Shirley Sherrod, a hero to us all, in her lawsuit.

That's why we will continue on, release our report on racism in the Tea Party, and push all their factions to adhere to modern standards for inclusiveness and civility.

That's why we will mobilize and march on Washington on 10.2.10, and continue to build the movement to put schools before wars, and fighting massive joblessness for our neighbors above maintaining massive tax breaks for the nation's wealthiest 1 percent.

We must be as aggressive as parents fighting for their children's lives, or as individuals fighting for their own lives, because we are.

We must be as inclusive as our long-standing vision for the 21st Century, because it is here.

And we must be as vigilant in the fight against hate-based politics and racist threats and violence as our forebears, because as the NAACP we are committed to ensuring America moves ever forward, never backward.

As Mrs. Sherrod said in her now famous speech, "If we are going to rebuild our communities, if we are going to get with all of the problems we have in our communities, it will take all of us working together to solve them."

Thank you to everyone who has contacted me with advice, counsel, and encouragement in recent weeks. I have benefitted from it, and I am as committed to seizing this personal opportunity for growth as I am to maximizing our collective opportunity to lead America in a better direction.

It is an honor to serve as your national president.

I look forward to seeing you on 10-2-10 as we together take the fight to our foes, make our demands on Congress clear before the elections, and remind America that we and our allies are the present and growing majority and will not yield the battlefield willingly.

Yours in the struggle,


Benjamin Todd Jealous
President and CEO
NAACP

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The NAACP urges the US Senate to provide FULL FUNDING in the Pigford II discrimination lawsuit

The Bill also contains repayment under the Cobell settlement of lost royalty funds for the mismanagement of natural resources on American Indian Land

THE ISSUE:
As early as TODAY, August 2, 2010, the United States Senate is expected to take up legislation to provide the $1.25 billion necessary to fund the Pigford II settlement. This settlement, which was announced by the US Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Justice in February of this year, would provide as many as 70,000 African American farmers, many of whom suffered blatant discrimination at the hands of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for decades, with cash damage awards and debt relief. These claims cannot even begin to be investigated, let alone settled, until after Congress has appropriated the funding. Funding for the Pigford settlement had been approved by the US House on July 1, 2010, but the money was stripped by the U.S. Senate on June 22, 2010.

The legislation to be considered also contains $1.41 billion to provide for the Cobell settlement, which involves lost royalty funds flowing from the mismanagement of natural resources on Indian land by the U.S. Department of the Interior for more than a century.

There is an urgency to pass this appropriation to settle the class action lawsuits of African-American farmers and Native Americans. Many of the farmers who would qualify for monies under the settlement have waited as long as 10 years to be compensated; some have already died or lost their farms. After years of discriminatory treatment by USDA credit and program agencies, these farm families have already waited almost a decade for compensation for these well-established claims. It is time to allow these farmers to focus on the future, and move forward unencumbered by the racial discrimination of the past.

CLICK HERE for the Action we need you to take...

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